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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29324832">Ned's Declassified Guide to Falling For Your Best Friend</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/fangirleverything4/pseuds/fangirleverything4'>fangirleverything4</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M, Friends to Lovers</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 02:14:25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Underage</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,925</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29324832</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/fangirleverything4/pseuds/fangirleverything4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Takes place after 2 x 20</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Ned Bigby/Jennifer "Moze" Mosely</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Ned's Declassified Guide to Falling For Your Best Friend</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Moze come on! Run!" Cookie's voice echoed through the empty darkened halls of James K Polk Middle School. Her heart pumping she ran faster along the empty corridor. She turned a corner and slammed into her best friend Cookie. </p><p>"Cookie what are you wearing? What is going on?" she demanded pulling Cookie to his feet and taking in his elegant suit. </p><p>"Quit kidding around Moze. You look fantastic but you can't be late. Let's go" Cookie said pulling her along in a run. </p><p>She stumbled and glanced down. She wore a strapless stunning white wedding dress. "What am I wearing?" she shrieked. </p><p>"Moze Cookie about time! Moze you look lovely. Are you ready to get married?" Gordy called as they neared the gym. Gordy's hair was gelled back and he wore his janitor uniform with a bowtie/</p><p>"Married?!" she repeated stumbling to a halt. </p><p>"Of course today is the happiest day of your life. Marrying the love of your life. I could cry" Gordy sobbed pulling tissues out of his sleeve. </p><p>"Who?" she demanded. Cookie snorted derisively. </p><p>"Only the man of your dreams. Now take these and get in there" Cookie replied shoving a bouquet in her arms. </p><p>Moze stumbled through the doors of the gym which had been transformed into a wedding reception hall complete with all her friends and family. Multicolored roses and rose petals littered the floor and were adorned into every crevice of the gym. It was actually a little nauseating. Moze felt all the eyes on her as she walked slowly down the aisle. She felt herself uncharacteristically blush. She kept her head tucked as she walked to the front where she noticed no one stood but Vice Principal Crubbs who stood behind a podium. She studied him warily. </p><p>"Please tell me you aren't the love of my life?" she asked half kidding.</p><p>"No that's illegal even in your dreams" Crubbs told her. </p><p>His eyes rested on the spot next to her and she turned her head to take in a pair of familiar blue eyes and messy hair. </p><p>"Noooooo" she yelled waking up with a gasp heart pounding. </p><p>
  <em>~</em>
</p><p>It was the first night of summer vacation and Ned could not sleep at all. He played video games all night but whenever he paused or died in the game his lips tingled and his face burned with the memory of his best friend's lips on his. <em>It was an accident. Moze is your best friend! You already have a dream girl. </em>As he tossed and turned he forced his mind to think about Suzie and all the things he liked about her but as he drifted off his mind slipped into memories of him and his best friend. </p><p>~</p><p>Moze was resting by the side of her pool trying to lose herself in a book. She had woken up at 7 from her nightmare and needed to cool off. She slipped into her athletic bathing suit and slipped outside managing not to wake anyone in the house. She had swam laps until her legs ached and her lungs burned. Her mom, a prime athlete in her day, brought out a power smoothie and a novel insisting she rest to eat some breakfast. Thank god though she only asked if Jennifer wanted to talk before kissing her on the forehead and slipping back inside. She was just taking a sip of her smoothie when a loud splash came from behind her. Without looking behind her or really being that surprised she folded her arms over her book protectively as a wall of water splashed down on her. Ned lived two doors down and came over most days of the summer to hang around her backyard. "It's summer. You aren't supposed to be reading" Ned's voice called. She shook her a book a little dispelling any droplets. </p><p>"It's called reading for fun. Some people enjoy reading" she teased flipping over to look at Ned who was closer than she had thought. His blue eyes were vibrant in the water and she swallowed sharply as her dream came back to her. </p><p>"Some people also enjoy pineapple on pizza doesn't make it right" he responded cocking an eyebrow at her. </p><p>"I stand by that pizza" she said sitting up and crossing her legs under her. She winced and uncrossed her sore legs. </p><p>"You alright?" Ned asked concerned. </p><p>"Yeah I ..swam a few too many laps this morning. I guess I was eager for summer and couldn't sleep the day away" she said uneasily slipping her feet into the water. </p><p>Ned swam closer putting his hands on either side of her legs, bringing him even closer to her. Upon closer inspection she noticed his slightly bloodshot eyes and dark circles under his eyes. "What about you? You look exhausted for the first day of summer" she noted. </p><p>He flushed and looked away. "Got caught up playing video games last night" he muttered. </p><p>"Was it your Halo 2?" she asked eagerly. </p><p>"No but we should totally play that later because we need a rematch" Ned said grinning wide. </p><p>"Oh you're going down Bigby" she teased. </p><p>"Is that right Mosely?" he taunted craning his neck a little. </p><p>Her heart beat wildly and she could have sworn his eyes widened. <em>Best friend!!</em> "That's right" she said her voice a little shrill and she pushed Ned back into the water tumbling on top of him. </p><p>They wrestled and rolled in the water until Ned broke free spluttering to the surface. She broke the surface cleanly and gracefully and smirked over at him. Ned was never that athletic but he always tried to keep up with her. "Questions?" he panted. They had made up a zillion pool games but Questions was one of their favorites. </p><p>"Catch your breathe first" she laughed. </p><p>~</p><p>His heart hammered even faster in his chest as Moze shook her hair free from her ponytail. Her brown hair fell down in a curtain around her. Her normally straight hair was curled slightly from the chlorine and the sun bathed her with a warm glow. Ned always thought Moze looked best in summers, freer and happier. He swallowed dryly and coughed up more pool water. Moze laughed again loud and buoyant and he smiled.</p><p>"Bombs away" a loud voice boomed before a heavy body plowed him into the water. Ned kicked away struggling to the surface once more.</p><p>"Hi Mikey" he spluttered dryly. Another splash announced Mikey's twin brother Peter had arrived as well. As an only child, Ned had always loved hanging around Mikey and Peter, Moze's future sophomore twin brothers. Yet in this moment, he strangely wished he was alone with Moze. </p><p>Mikey and Peter both looked like their dad with blond hair and green eyes while Moze was a younger copy of her mother. While Mikey and Peter were identical twins, they were easy to tell apart. Mikey was boisterous, loud, athletic with shoulder length shaggy blond hair. Peter had short cropped hair and would normally be wearing glasses always appearing as the smartest of the siblings. Yet Mikey and Peter were inseparable and always ready for mischief. "Neddy. How's our favorite boy?" Mikey asked nudging him as he grabbed the edge of the pool. </p><p>"Ready for summer?" Peter added surfacing next to Moze. </p><p>"Been ready since the first day of school" Ned joked making the three laugh. </p><p>"We were about to play Questions. Us vs you two?" Moze asked her smile wide and gloriously happy. Ned felt a flutter in his gut that had nothing to do with too much pool water. </p><p>"Oh Mr and Mrs Bigby are going down" Peter teased. Moze ducked under the water immediately emerging a second later at the end of the pool. Peter and Ned swam off for the other end of the pool. Questions is basically Never Have I Ever and Would You rather combined. One person asks a question and then they all shout out the answer if two people have the same answer they race to get to the opposite side before the other person. </p><p>"I've got one. I call going first" Mikey called eagerly, a suspicious gleam in his eyes. </p><p>"Never have I ever had a nightmare the first night of summer" he grinned wickedly in Moze's direction. Ned tried to see her expression but she punched him on the arm and dove smoothly into the water. She popped up between him and Peter. </p><p>"You had a nightmare?" he asked her. </p><p>"Yeah I uh failed all my finals. Peter your turn" she said distractedly. </p><p>"Would you rather kiss your best friend or kiss a stranger" Peter asked a gleam in his eyes as well. Ned's body ran cold. He would have thought they knew something but they always teased them in this way. </p><p>"One two" Peter continued. Ned noticed Moze was purposely not looking in his direction. <em>Which should I say? Stranger say stranger. </em></p><p>"Three, stranger" Peter called. </p><p>"Stranger" Moze and Mikey called in unison. </p><p>"Friend" Ned called in the same second. <em>What?! </em></p><p>Moze's head whipped around so fast and stared stunned oblivious as Mikey and Peter dove into the water. "Go" he yelled motioning to the water, his face hot. Moze jumped and dove fast into the water.  </p><p>~</p><p>Moze and Ned were still being a little awkward around each other but slowly falling into their usual summer rhythm of swimming, goofing off, and video games. Moze hadn't had any more nightmares but sometimes she couldn't help it. It was Friday night, two weeks after school let out. Moze, Ned and the rest of the neighbor kids were playing a game of Manhunt. Moze and Ned were on the same team and she had found the perfect spot for herself when she noticed Ned scooting along. She pulled him over the bush she was hiding in and he fell into her lap. They untangled and stared at each other in their tiny alcove. "Good hiding spot" he murmured, his voice a little rough. </p><p>"You know me. I never lose" she managed. </p><p>Ned awkwardly tucked his legs under him. "This is comfy" he muttered. </p><p>"Remember the time we stayed for an hour in Mrs. Fleming's tree?" she whispered grinning at the memory. </p><p>"Yes and you wouldn't let me pee for an hour. Remember the time we hid under Eric's old car when we were seven and we were there so long everyone forgot about us?" Ned whispered laughing. </p><p>"Yeah we fell asleep under the car and woke up to our parents screaming our names begging us to give up" Moze put a hand over mouth to stop the giggles. </p><p>Ned covered her mouth looking around furtively. "Us give up? I think you mean you" he teased back softly. </p><p>Moze's hand was warm where his covered hers and her mouth tingled slightly in the cool night air. "Please you never quit anything either. You are far more stubborn than me" she whispered softly. </p><p>"We make a great team. Stubborn as hell and never quit" he murmured. His profile was barely visible in the moonlight but she noticed him swallow. She could barely see his eyes in the darkness but she felt his eyes on her face. </p><p>Moze heard a rustling near by and clasped a hand over Ned's mouth. Moze could barely breathe as she met Ned's gaze and felt his hot breath on the back of her hands. The rustling got closer. She lowered her hand and felt his fingers find hers in the dark. Together, hand in hand, they took off running through the dark. </p><p> </p>
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